Beginning Day Nine

Tomorrow I will write more about how this day has impacted our marriage, but I wanted to say how excited I am that I have started on the Dare today. Even better—I started on it before I even read it!

 

Today's Love Dare deals with how I greet my husband. The challenge is to greet him with joy and love every time I see him. In a way, I could see how this would be hard. He is not feeling well today and didn't go to work. I don't know how it works in your house, but I know that around here it is harder to get a lot of cleaning done when my husband and my kids are home. The boys are here because of Christmas vacation. Our plan was to go through some clothes and toys, packing away all the summer stuff that was missed and put aside anything that can be sold in a yard sale this spring. But with my hubby being home, I don't know how well that will work out. He has a different idea of what "clean" is than I do! (He was raised by a complete neat freak. No joke—after her strokes, my mother-in-law didn't always know who I was or who her kids were, but by golly she knew if her doilies and knickknacks were moved!) He doesn't really believe that hanging onto anything is a good idea. The stuff that I put aside for a yard sale he likely will say can go in the trash or out to the Goodwill. My first thought when I realized he was not working today was, "Great. I'll never get done with what I need to do."

 

That isn't how I greeted him, though. He is still sleeping, and he doesn't know that I am feeling a little frustrated that my plans may not pan out the way I had hoped. What did I do? I rolled over, put my arms around him, and prayed for his healing. I know he heard me, because he patted my hand and said thank you.

 

Now, to see if I can keep up the "pleasant" greetings with him all throughout the day.